Saint Gregory the Great,Pope, Doctor of the
Church(entered heaven in 604)

Dear Greg,

I
commend you on your Chapter Plan. It´s realistic, incisive, focused, and healthily ambitious. If
every college had a Compass Chapter with such vision and determination, that country would turn
around in just a few years.

But as you launch into your conquest of
college culture this year, watch out for a subtle but debilitating virus – pride. Remember, as
talented as you are, and as well-formed in your faith, your sweat and struggles will come to nothing
if you neglect your soul. The Kingdom of Christ is like that; you can´t advance it in others if it
hasn´t advanced in you. Or, as St Ignatius Loyola put it: "You wish to reform the world; reform
yourself, otherwise your efforts will be in vain." Today´s saint is a good example of that wise
maxim.

Gregory was of patrician birth (that´s the
high society of ancient Rome), and his family was devoutly Christian. Unfortunately, Rome (and the
rest of the former Roman Empire in Western Europe) was in ruins by the time he became a young man.
Barbarian invasions and plagues and widespread anarchy had reduced the "mistress of the world" to a
broken down backwater.

Having received the best education available,
Gregory took up a career in civil service, doing all he could to restore order and prosperity to the
Eternal City and its surrounding townships. He rose quickly to the position of city prefect (i.e.
mayor), and made solid progress. But soon the call to serve God alone became too strong to resist,
so he gave his fortune to the city and retired to his family villa, which he turned into a
monastery. He was happy there for three years, praying, studying, and disciplining his spirit and
body in imitation of Christ. But he was soon brought back into public affairs, when the Pope sent
him as ambassador to the Emperor´s court in Constantinople. Again his efforts met with success, but
his heart remained in the cloister.

Upon returning to Rome, however, he
was made a deacon, and given care of the Roman Churches. His zeal, intelligence, and charity made
him the obvious choice for Pope, which he became in 590. His spiritual and practical leadership led
the suffering city through plagues, invasions, and famines, while at the same time he turned the
papacy into a rock of stability and order that would give Christendom a dependable foundation
throughout the Middle Ages. He combined the prudence and shrewdness of an administrator with
remarkable eloquence in both speech and writing. Above all, he strived to please and honor God by
pouring himself out in service of his Kingdom. Indeed, it was Gregory the Great who coined the papal
title still in use today, "servus servorum Dei" or "servant of the servants of God." He never
rested, he suffered from chronic health problems, and by the time his 13-year pontificate came to a
close he looked more like a skeleton than a man. To the end, however, he remained the faithful
pastor. One of his last actions was to send a heavy cloak to a poor bishop who had difficulty making
it through the cold winters. His epitaph says it all: "After having conformed all his actions to his
doctrines, the great consul of God went to enjoy eternal triumphs."

And
that´s the key: conforming your actions to your doctrines. And you can do it, just as St Gregory
did, if you follow his itinerary, which prefaced his life of service with a life of prayer. Each day
should be like that for you: go to the monastery of your soul first thing in the morning, and emerge
into the field action afterwards. If you do, your Chapter Plan is sure to be fulfilled, and you,
like Gregory, will be "Great" in the eyes of the Lord.

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